Those from the privileged class are selected to join the overseas propaganda troupe.

A Korean newspaper has likened an all singing all dancing North Korean girl troupe with pop sensation Girls Generation – claiming the troupe’s role is to uplift the moral of soldiers just like GG did last Christmas. Netizens were quick to go on the defensive to criticise what they claimed was a pro-North Korean article for publishing pictures of the girl troupe of girlie troops.

The below image is of the ‘regular troupe’ [i.e. not the sexy ones, in case you were wondering], the rest are from the ‘special troupe’.

North Korean Version of Girls Generation? Take a Look at this ‘Special Moral Boosting Girls Troupe’…

‘Girls Generation’ are the so-called ‘Goddesses’ of the ROK Army. In North Korea however, they have not a ‘girl group’ but a ‘girl troupe’ of the same level as ‘Girls Generation’.

North Korea news specialist New Focus introduced on the 25th of this month the morale-boosting beauty troop for the [North Korean] army.

New Focus said that while in South Korea celebrities visit military troops to boost their morale, in North Korea the ‘People’s Army Troupe’ lend their hand in uplifting the soldiers’ spirits. The troupe, mainly composed of women, is divided into two parts, one for ordinary soldiers, and another ‘special’ one for international propaganda.

The ‘regular troupe’ only possess costumes, with pleasantly simple outward appearances wearing no make-up and with moderately titillating roles, while on the other hand the ‘special troupe’, which is specifically selected for international propaganda, is equipped with outstanding beauty queens, colourful costumes and make-up mastery. The ‘special troupe’ belongs to a privileged class of different social status from regular soldiers.

The ‘special troupe’ has been assigned to provide entertainment not only for soldiers but also the privileged class, and even been mobilised on the international stage such as at the Busan Asian Games.

However, New Focus also noted that North Korean soliders actually get a lot more pleasure out of meat and alcohol rations that can appease their hunger rather than through the entertainment provided by this kind of troupe.

Is it not simply that reporters of the Bicycle Daily [nickname for the Chosun Ilbo newspaper meaning ‘cheap quality newspaper’ – legend has it that the newspaper ran a promotion giving our free bicycles to draw readers – just like those cheap newspapers that are handed out in the subway do] simply have high standards??? Will they not be accused of defamation????? ke

태엽감는새:

It was expected of the the Chosun Ilbo to compliment North Korean ladies ke ke ke ke

박본좌:

Of course the Chosun Ilbo which uses the word ‘Chosun’ in its title [North Korean word for ‘Korea’] would compliment the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

Ah, a perverted journalist who is of North Korean tendency isn’t he? Has no grounds or proof whatsoever..through those two [we at koreaBANG scoured the internet to find you more!] photos, he’s written a novel. Well at least it’s fortunate that it’s not the words from an industry official.

촌철살인:

We must therefore unify…at least they don’t have children (that is, sluts with worn out pussies) in tatters like those of our country, ain’t that right? In any case, even if we marry them, I think the divorce rate would still be low~~

눈깔어:

How typical it is of the North Korean Chosun Ilbo to compliment the looks of North Korean woman.

Northern women are natural beauties, and Southern men are plastic beauties. I’m confused which is better. Am I the only one?! ^———–^

정진:

Eum, yeah they are pretty but… to say they are like Girls Generation?..

김귀중:

Oh…. To liken them our Girls Generation is a no no…

윤석순:

In the first photo a couple of them are..well if you send them to Diamond Girl [before and after makeover show] with Hong Seok-cheon [Korea’s first openly gay actor/TV personality] then they have potential..but those in the second photo, they are just a group of parent mother association mothers in their 40’s

유재성:

Ok it’s understandable [to say they are pretty] in the first photo, but in the second photo what the hell they look like their mothers no?? They are really……. genuine female soldiers..

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k

Oh please those girls are just as pretty as the girls generation, in fact prettier because they haven’t had a ton of plastic surgery done like 100% of all s. Korean actors/singers have. For the netizens to make fun of their looks is stupid, cause truth is North Koreans look how South Koreans look if South Koreans didn’t use a shitload of makeup and whitening cream and had a ton facial surgeries. Altho I will say s. Koreans are taller thanks to better nutrition and growth hormones that parents give their sons.

Justin_C

i am slightly blown away by how pretty they are…. @_@ although they do have that distinctive socialist realism joker smiles ):D

Digitalsoju

I’m pretty sure we’re not looking at the same pictures then.

James

They’re very pretty but I wouldn’t rule out plastic surgery (which is becoming more and more popular in the North), particularly because they’re part of a state-sponsored entertainment troupe for an external audience. These girls are also tall and have just as much makeup on, trust me.

Stories of butts

Im pretty sure that whitening cream is just as used in North Korea as in South Korea, the only difference is that not every from the North can probably afford it. I do agree on the face that North Koreans are what South Koreans really look like and its stupid for them to make fun of how they look. I remember when my sister got into Kpop and dramas, she keep saying how pretty Koreans where and I told her to look at pictures of North Koreans if she wanted to see how they really look.

Brett Sanbon

It seriously reminds me of girl troupes from pictures of WWI and WWII.

I wonder if NK refugees feel like the Hunger Games when they enter a place like SK…. all the hair, surgery, makeup, and strange clothes.

Brett Sanbon

Oh, and in the States we say “Northern men, Southern women”, unless you are a northern woman or southern man of course.

James

In the UK we [I] say “French Women”.

lonetrey

What does that phrase mean? I’ve tried Googling it but it’s just perfectly too vague to find, but also specific enough for me to notice it.

The original thing is 남남북녀 [南男北女] meaning that the most attractive men are in the South of Korea and the most attractive women are in the North.

lonetrey

Ah, thank you guys for clearing that up.

Jess

Wait, wait…the Chosun Ilbo is known as a liberal newspaper in Korea? Maybe it’s just the English edition that’s filled with racism and xenophobia, then.

James

I don’t think any of them are suggesting the Chosun Ilbo is liberal: it could still be politically conservative but nationalist enough to praise the North for being Korean too.

Noori

Actually, I don’t think Chosun Ilbo really meant to compliment beauty of North Korean women. Conservative newspapers have been writing a series of tabloid-like articles on NK women, with titles like, ‘When a North Korean virgin escape to China…”, “Some NK women have big breasts because…” Although the paper happened to upset its ‘dear readers’, I think the article is ill-intended enough.

Yah you’re right, they probably have had surgery done. I was reading that apparently ps among the elite class in N.Korea is as common as it is among S.Koreans and these girls are definately elite class. I read that Kim Jung Il required waitresses in N. Korean restaurants to have ps done to make them pretty so as to make N.Korea look better to foreigners. I honestly have never met a young Korean woman that hasnt had some sort of facial surgery. My bro dated a Korean woman who had two major surgeries on her face and always wore thick eye make up to make her eyes look bigger and I asked him one day if even actually knew what she really looked like before all the plastic surgery and under the makeup…..I dont think he did. Korean women are pretty but most of the pretty ones are almost always due to ps and you nvver know what they really look like, which is hy Ive heard Korean men talk about requiring childhood/teen pics of girls they date.

Umm

There are plenty of beautiful Korean women who are plastic surgery free. If everyone could stop for a second and appreciate the beauty that comes with single eyelids, stronger jaw lines etc. then maybe girls wouldn’t feel so much pressure to change their natural beauty. Instead, they’re told that when they’re real, they can’t be considered beautiful and when they’re plastic, they’re ugly for being fake.

Henry

I don’t find single eyelids, stronger jaws etc to be beautiful but to each their own. The more important argument is, why can’t these girls feel secure enough in their own beauty – strong jaw or not – and need others to validate their looks? Self-esteem trumps any form of physical beauty. The problem with both the “real” and the “fake” groups you listed are that neither has self-esteem. One feels the need to cut their face up in order to feel good; the other can’t are deeply unhappy in their own skin. How about just being thankful for how you look and being secure with that?

guk

FYI, 방가네 is the Bang family who owns the Chosun Ilbo, and 땡기다 means ‘aroused sexully’ in a slang sense.

Raphael

Wow nice one, thanks for spotting the mistake!

404namenotfound

i want one :)

Paul M

“The troupe, mainly composed of women, is divided into two parts, one for ordinary soldiers, and another ‘special’ one for international propaganda.”

They were going to finish the sentence “and more.” but that would have been too obvious.

Stories of butts

They are very very pretty, but I wouldnt rule out that they didnt had some surgery of their faces since theyre an elite class, especially if you compare them to the second photo of the group of women in the crowd. I guess in both the North and South, they want their women to have smaller faces.

They sort of remind me of the cross guard women that are famous in North Korea. Out with the old, in with the new.

Godori

Could this dispute (and the fate of both Koreas) be solved by some sort of mud wrestling?

James

You could just be on to something.

actionjksn

I’m from USA and I think Korean women are among the most beautiful in the world, much better than here in America. I have been to Seoul South Korea, and three other cities including Jeju Island. I couldn’t stop looking at all the beautiful women. My wife was getting so jealous while we were there. I would much rather have married one of the Korean women there. But I think those north Korean women are also very beautiful. I really think they look good enough to eat. Oh yes they would really love me when I was done with them. They’re so small and fit what fun they would be! But I would also have to teach them to hate Communism.

James

From the USA you say? o_O

Brett Sanbon

Lol I had the same thought

lonetrey

Sounds kind of like a backhanded compliment, lol

Stories of butts

And you wonder why your wife was jealous… word of advice, you sounding a bit too much of a creeper, tone it down.

oh really?

Natural or the plastic ones?
Because honestly the normal Korean girls that has nothing done, are kinda average at most.

Aztec

Erm, you need to tone down the Korean Fetish. Most if not 98% of them look average to below average, so yeah, stop putting them on such a pedestal. and might I add, you sound like a real prick – I think your wife would be delighted u left her alone and married a Korean girl.

Mike

Thing is, we have not seen how his wife look. If she is a typical obese American woman with a poor skin condition because of all the junk food she eats, chances are he MIGHT actually find what you consider average or below average girls beautiful. And the way the guy writes does make me believe he had quite a limited choice in the US regarding what type of wife he could get. Eventually his comment seems quite coherent to me.

I am a German student at Beida and very interested in this topic. When looking at the pictures I found out that this korean women troop is performing not on a Dprk navy ship, but on a Chinese one. In the 7th. picture you can even see the Flag of PLA navy. In the background performing brass band or whatever is also not belonging to Korean People´s Army but to the marine music corps of PLA navy. So where have these photos been taken? Obviosly not in North Korea.

So, what does it actual mean?! (By the way, I totally object the northern crazy government but just the Music of DPRK, especially the folk songs sang by Pochonbo Electronic Enssemble are best of the World!!! Do you also sometimes hear it in the south?)

Anons

Okay..seriously, compared with these girls..? Girls Generation are the best. I found them very attractive when I saw them during Gee. Seeing these NK girls, they are just..not pretty..just normal and ordinary. NOT pretty.OK?

Jeffli

And as habib would say “have them stripped, washed and sent to my tent!”

Mike

Hilarious!

ddd

looks better than snsd

Gerhana

looks like an interesting dance routine

OscarG49

We need to get the hot ones out before we Nuke their civilization off the face of the earth